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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Animal welfare catastrophe looms amid Incheon redevelopment project

Two dogs snuggle each other inside Boksuni's Shelter in Incheon. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar By Jon DunbarUrban renewal often leads to an increase in animal abandonment, but an ongoing development project in Incheon, west of Seoul, could lead to an animal welfare crisis. Demolition is proceeding in the Jeondogwan (Missionary) Redevelopment Zone, located next to Dowon Station on Seoul Metro Line 1. The aging neighborhood, built all over a small hill, is said to be the city's last remaining “moon village,” a refugee settlement established decades ago. Most of the remaining houses do not have gas pipes, and heating is still provided in the winter by charcoal briquettes. At the top of the hill sits a majestic, lime-green church building constructed in 1956-57 by Park Tae-son, founder of the Olive Tree new religious movement. That same building, after sitting abandoned since 2005, has since become a safe space for hundreds of dogs, but with eviction looming, the re

Apr 17, 2022By Jon Dunbar
Animal welfare catastrophe looms amid Incheon redevelopment project

Wildfires burn 521 hectares of woodland near inter-Korean border

In this photo provided by the Gangwon Fire Headquarters, a firefighter tries to put out a forest fire in Yanggu, northeastern Korea, April 11. YonhapA forest fire charred mountain areas the size of 730 soccer fields in a northeastern town close to the inter-Korean border for two days, firefighting officials said Monday.The fire occurred in Yanggu, 175 kilometers northeast of Seoul and about 20 km south of the border with North Korea, Sunday afternoon and spread rapidly due to strong winds, burning an estimated 5.21 million square meters (521 hectares) until Monday morning, the officials said.No casualties have been reported so far as authorities have mobilized all possible resources, including 27 helicopters and about 1,300 personnel, to protect private houses and facilities, including Buddhist temples, from the raging fires.A dry weather advisory is currently in effect across the northeastern mountain province of Gangwon, to which Yanggu belongs."The recent dry weather has led to frequent wildfires. Residents should be careful as strong winds can result in large-scale wildfires," a

Apr 11, 2022
Wildfires burn 521 hectares of woodland near inter-Korean border

3.4 magnitude earthquake hits off Korea's east coast

The epicenter of a 3.4 magnitude earthquake that struck in waters off Yeongdeok County, April 10, is seen in this image provided by the Korea Meteorological Administration. Yonhap A 3.4 magnitude earthquake struck off Korea's east coast Sunday, according to the country's weather agency, which added there were no reports of damage.The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the quake occurred in waters 23 kilometers east of the southeastern coastal county of Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, at 2:45 a.m. and at a depth of 18 km.According to officials, a 3 magnitude tremor was apparently noticed throughout the province, with fire authorities having received around 10 reports of minor shaking. The KMA said the earthquake was the second-strongest quake to hit the Korean Peninsula so far this year, following the 3.1 magnitude natural quake near Kilju ― home to North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear testing site ― Feb. 11. (Yonhap)

Apr 10, 2022
3.4 magnitude earthquake hits off Korea's east coast

PM orders all-out efforts to put out wildfire in southeastern county of Bonghwa

A wildfire breaks out in Bonghwa, a town in South Korea's southeastern province of North Gyeongsang, Tuesday. YonhapPrime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Tuesday ordered relevant authorities to make all-out efforts to put out a wildfire in Bonghwa, a town in South Korea's southeastern province of North Gyeongsang. Kim also instructed relevant authorities to thoroughly prepare for night-time firefighters and equipment, while ensuring safety of the firefighters, his office said. The wildfire broke out at a mountain in Bonghwa, 244 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as of around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Apr 5, 2022
PM orders all-out efforts to put out wildfire in southeastern county of Bonghwa

Cherry blossom street on Yeouido to be open next week due to delayed blooming

Cherry blossom trees have yet to fully bloom on Seoul's Yeouido, April 1. Yonhap A famous cherry blossom street on Seoul's Yeouido will be open to the public from April 9 to 17, about a week later than planned, due to a delay in the trees blooming, the district office said Friday. Yeouiseoro Street, which was off limits during the cherry blossom season for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had initially been scheduled to open to the public March 31, but the Yeongdeungpo District office pushed back the opening to April 2 and then April 9, as flowering was delayed due to unseasonably low temperatures."We rescheduled it in order to present a warmer and more radiant cherry blossom street as it will be open for the first time in three years," Chai Hyun-il, the district chief, said.During the period, a 1.7-kilometer-long section of the street near the National Assembly, one of the most-visited spots during the cherry blossom season, will be pedestrian only

Apr 1, 2022
Cherry blossom street on Yeouido to be open next week due to delayed blooming

Use of disposable cups, items banned in cafes, restaurants

Workers at a coffee house in central Seoul arrange reusable cups, March 31, one day ahead of the activation of a regulation banning the use of disposable items inside cafes and restaurants. Yonhap The use of disposable items, such as single-use plastic cups and cutlery, will be banned inside cafes and restaurants under a new environmental regulation that went into force Friday. This is a reinstatement of the environment ministry's “anti-disposable law” that first went into effect in 2018, but was temporarily lifted with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 amid concerns reusable cups and cutlery could become a source of infection.The ministry has decided to bring it back as the prolonged pandemic led to a surge in waste.Under the latest regulation, 18 disposable items, including single-use serveware, cutlery, toothpicks and plastic tablecloths, are banned from use inside cafes and restaurants.Cafes and restaurants are also prohibited from providing free

Apr 1, 2022
Use of disposable cups, items banned in cafes, restaurants

First cherry blossoms this spring bloom on Jeju

Cherry blossoms are in bloom on Jeju Island, March 25. Yonhap The nation's first blooming cherry blossoms of the spring were observed on the southern island of Jeju, Friday, according to the local weather agency.The flowering came on the same day as an average year but eight days later than last year's March 17, due to relatively low temperatures this month, according to the Jeju Regional Meteorological Administration.The first bloom is declared when at least three blossoms of a standard observation tree come out.The pink and white blossoms are expected to be in full bloom a week afterward.Forsythias, another representative spring flower, first bloomed on the island March 17 and reached a peak Wednesday. (Yonhap)

Mar 25, 2022
First cherry blossoms this spring bloom on Jeju

Heavy rain, strong winds forecast for Jeju for Friday-Saturday

gettyimagesbank Heavy rain of up to 250 millimeters, combined with strong wind, is forecast to hit the southern island of Jeju, Friday and early Saturday, according to the national weather agency said.The country is expected to see mild rain nationwide, starting late Friday in the west and moving eastward by early Saturday under the influence of southwesterly wind caused by low atmospheric pressure, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. Jeju is likely to receive up to 120 mm of rain across the island and up to 250 mm in its mountainous areas during the period, while a downpour of more than 80 mm is expected for the country's south coastal regions. The two regions could possibly be placed under a heavy rain warning, the KMA said.Other major areas, including the greater capital area and the southwestern Honam region, will also see rain between 20 mm and 70 mm, while a rain shower of less than 50 mm has been forecast for the eastern Gangwon region and cen

Mar 24, 2022
Heavy rain, strong winds forecast for Jeju for Friday-Saturday

Korean students selected as Earth Prize finalists

Members of the CIECO team pose with a banner introducing their reusable cup circulation system at Chadwick International School in Songdo, Incheon. Courtesy of CIECO By Kwon Mee-yoo The Earth Foundation CEO Angela McCarthy / Courtesy of Earth Foundation A group of students from Chadwick International School who created a reusable cup circulation system for cafeterias, have been selected among the 10 finalists for the Earth Prize. Working under the name CIECO, the students invented the “Cupy” system to reduce plastic waste at school. The system is currently in use at their international school in Songdo, Incheon.The Earth Prize is a global environmental sustainability competition for teenagers, operated by the Earth Foundation established by Switzerland-based Irishman Peter McGarry. Angela McCarthy, CEO of the Earth Foundation, emphasized that the Ear

Mar 23, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korean students selected as Earth Prize finalists

Busan ramps up monitoring for release of radioactive water at Fukushima

Busan City Government officials inspect the origins of imported marine products being sold at a street market in Busan. Courtesy of Busan City Government By Ko Dong-hwanBusan City Government has rolled out a plan to prepare for Japan's scheduled release of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant next year. The city released the plan on March 15 amid concerns that over 1.25 million tons of contaminated radioactive water currently stored in about 1,000 tanks on the site will be released into the ocean for 40 years starting in 2023. The nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture was hit when a 15-meter tsunami was unleashed during an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 in March 2011, flooding into four nuclear reactors, causing the failure of emergency cooling generators, which led to three nuclear meltdowns, three hydrogen explosions and the release of radioactive contamination into the surrounding environment. In the last decade, over 1.25 million t

Mar 17, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan
Busan ramps up monitoring for release of radioactive water at Fukushima
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